quimac.com

In mid February, 2011, the Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a regulatory petition asking the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit the use of two “caramel colorings” that are made with ammonia.  The “coloring” is most typically used in brown sodas, such as Coca Cola and Pepsi.

There are four types of caramel coloring, two made with ammonia and two without.  They are made by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulfites using high pressure and temperatures.  The result is the formation of 2-methylimidazole and 4-methylimidazole.  The Center, after 3 years of testing, discovered lung, liver and thyroid cancer.

The National Toxicology Program says that there is “clear evidence that 2-MI and 4-MI are animal carcinogens – that is they cause cancer in animals.  And if they cause cancer in animals they are considered to pose a cancer risk in humans.  Five prominent experts on animal carcinogenesis have joined CSPI in calling on the FDA to ban the use of these “colorings”.